Weedguru Higher wrote:Well a friend of mine has taken up hunting deer...this is his third year hunting and he has yet to make a kill.
He's at a spot where he feeds the deer apples and carrots...they come and eat it.
He goes out really early in the morning and spends a good part of the day there. But he hasn't yet actually seen a deer.
He is hunting at ground level...doesn't have a thing in a tree.
The owner of the property killed a deer there from his van in the field, so it's not like they aren't there.
What do you think he's doing wrong?
Is it scent or something?
From the sounds of it, it sounds like your friend has been bow hunting. I'm not an expert in this field, but I can give some suggestions.
1.) If the wind is blowing real hard then as long as your friend is upwind from where he is feeding his deer it should not be a large issue. If the wind is not blowing then scent can play an issue. I suggest showering with just water, no shampoo, no soap. Deer will smell that from a mile away and will avoid the area he is in at all costs.
2.) If your friend is hunting on the ground he should invest in a deer blind. The deer blind will keep him covered from the elements and as long as the individual remains quite and still the deer should come within 30 yards for a clean shot (at 30 yards gravity is already doing a number on the arrow, so make sure to aim just a little high; target practice will help this).
Here is a simple, but effective deer blind. They are usually camoflouged, but if he is wearing camo cloathing there is no need to paint the blind in camo. After it sits there for a while the deer will become accustomed to it.
3.) Your friend may be going to his location at the wrong time. If he is going to his location when the deer are out, then they know where he is. It usually helps to get to your blind or hunting spot an hour or two before dawn or during the middle of the day so you can sit there and wait till around sunset when the deer begin moving around again.
4.) If your friend is looking to shoot a nice buck he needs to go hunting during the rut (this is the deers mating season and once the male gets it in his mind that he must reproduce that is all he will think about). Once in rut big bucks will move out of places they know that dont get hunted very hard and they will start grouping up with multiple females. Since does are more likely to be feeding at his feeding spot than a big buck (not during rut), the big buck will often follow the females to the feeding spot during rut and this is the time to strike.
Around here rut usually begins about 1-2 weeks from now and can last into January. Bow hunters often have a lot longer season to hunt than gun hunters (4-5 months compared to 2-3 weeks). This is ample time to spot/stake out a deer, learn his habits and adapt to his world. Bow hunting is a game of patience, tell him to hang in there and stick to a daily routine it will pay off!
5.) Apples and carrots are ok, but if you really want to tickle a deers taste buds try feeding them peas and corn. The ones I have been feeding this year are going crazy for corn and peas. Apples are a good choice to, but he might try swapping out the carrots.
Once the deer know there is food there, they still might not come until a big snow storm rolls through. Chances are there is plenty of food availible to the deer right now without the snow (harvest season is over and there is a lot of sunflowers, grain, peas, corn, and others that are not covered by the snow).
6.) If a buck doesnt come by the time a week is left in the bow season, go ahead and take the doe! Does are a lot more stupid than bucks and they often group up providing an easy shot for the hunter. Does usually taste better than an old buck because they are not as hardened by the elements as a buck who has been playing survival of the fittest his entire life.
7.)He must be quite at all times, even the slightest noise a deer will pick up on. It is important to stay still and even if you see one from 40-50 yards away, don't get excited, take deep breaths and control your breathing. A shot that long is not worth your time and effort all that will happen is he will miss and scare the buck off from future treks back into that area.
8.)When it is time to take the shot it is important to not get too excited, try and keep your breathing and heart rate at a lower level. This is hard because the adrenaline pumping through your veins at this time is likely to be very high. In order to slow your heart rate try closing your mouth, biting down on your tounge, and tapping one of your big toes while breathing heavily and deeply through your nose (this is one way that people can be trained to beat a lie detector test and it is the same physiological response you are trying to control here when deer hunting).
When he is ready to take the shot, quietly draw the bow back to right underneat eye level and wait for the deer to face you head on or more preferably broadside. When he is ready to release tell him to take a deep breath before he is ready to take the shot and once he releases the string exhale (just like weight lifting if that helps you out---->deep breath while bringing the weight down and exhaling when pushing the weight up----->deep breath right before relase, exhale on release).
9.) Try scouting out deer, if he is looking for a buck tell him to look for bedded down grass in the field (this is where deer sleep and lay and will return to usually in mid day). Tell him to look at the bark on trees, deer will rub their horns against the tree and it will cause the bark to where off (this is a good indicator where bucks are hanging out).
Look for game trails in the fields or draws, these are like little sidewalks that animals use in the wild for easier travel (this is a good place to set your blind by as it takes in large amounts of traffic, however, you are not likely to find a monster buck here as he is smarter than that).
Lastly, tell him to look for and be able to identify animal droppings (by being able to tell deer droppings from say rabbits, you can determine what the deer has been eating and then start feeding him that when the snow flies).
10.) If he has any questions or if you want to know anything else about the bow hunting process feel free to ask and I will be more than happy to comply.
Hope this helps,
HAPPY HUNTING!!
Get busy living or get busy dying.
.....i have about 13 hrs to get all that done....so just gonna keep lighting up till i get all this done
.....or wake up tomorrow mornin still baked and realize i didn't even get started
....we both got our plates full like we got crazy munchies
